


Who Killed Chenle?

by NcityStories



Series: NCT Mysteries [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Chenle is dead, F/M, High School Students NCT Dream, M/M, Mark Lee is hiding something, NCT Dream Ensemble-centric, Nct Mystery, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le Are Best Friends, Sad Na Jaemin, Secrets won't seem like secrets, but things will be different, chenle - Freeform, idk how to describe it, pay attention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2020-10-05 11:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20488154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NcityStories/pseuds/NcityStories
Summary: Chenle, resident crackhead and everyone’s best friend, is found murdered in a back alley in a city thousands of miles away from home after going missing for three days. Last people to see him? His best friends: Mark Lee, Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck, Huang Renjun, and Park Jisung.There are so many secrets between this group of friends.Did one of his friends have anything to do with his murder? Or was he a victim of circumstance?





	1. The Beginning

_ **BREAKING NEWS: BODY OF MISSING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ZHONG CHENLE WAS FOUND THIS MORNING IN A BACK ALLEY IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.** _

Earlier this evening, missing high school student Zhong Chenle was found in a back alley on the Las Vegas Strip. He was visiting the city with his friends as part of a pre-graduation trip. 

Zhong Chenle, a student visiting from Seoul, South Korea, had been missing for three days before his body was found. Las Vegas Metro Police responded to a call from a woman claiming to have found the missing boy. This woman has chosen to remain anonymous but said she had been walking her dog when it ran away from her. That is when she stumbled upon the body. 

The Metro Police say that an investigation is underway, and they will be updating the public as soon as they receive any information. 

A Facebook page has been opened for Chenle for those who wish to post memories and condolences.

If anyone has any information about the disappearance and murder of Zhong Chenle, the police ask that you call their hotline at 702-555-4357.

.

.

.

“Hello? This is the Metro Tip Hotline. This is Nancy speaking. How may I help you?”

“One of his friends did it.”

“I’m sorry, sir? What do you mean?”

“The kid. Chenle. One of his friends did it.”

“Sir do you have proof?”

"I am the proof." _Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter - @Bycaliforjohnny
> 
> Instagram - @Nchoesinthehouse


	2. The Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be hard for me to write because little Chenle is my favorite dreamie. I'd adopt him if I could.

Sirens rang out for miles. Detectives were crawling on the scene. To Jaemin, this was his worst nightmare. When Chenle first went missing, Jaemin tried to be optimistic. He tried to believe that Chenle had just got lost in the crowd. He must have dropped his phone, too. That's why he wasn't answering. But as the days passed, he realized that this couldn't have been the case. Chenle would have found a way to contact them by now. 

When the police called and asked them to come down to the scene to identify the body, he felt his heart break. This wasn't the usual protocol, but Chenle was an international student whose disappearance caused an international scare. 

When he arrived with the rest of his friends, they all huddled together. Renjun clung to Mark. He had his face buried in Mark's shoulder, and he was sobbing. Donghyuck was holding Jisung while Jeno stood behind Jaemin in silent comfort. They stood there until an officer finally approached them with a translator after almost an hour of waiting. 

"Hello. I am Detective Calina. You guys can call me Cal. I'll be the detective handling this case. This is Junhong. He will translate for us." Mark shook his head.

"We don't need a translator. I'm fluent in both languages." The detective looked at Junhong, and they nodded to each other. Junhong turned and approached another officer, leaving them alone with the detective. 

"I'm sorry for calling you down to the scene, but it's urgent that we get confirmation as soon as possible. Your parents are unavailable to ID the body because they are all currently on a flight to Vegas. Only one of you has to come. You don't all have to look." She looked saddened. "I'm so sorry this happened to your friend." She let out a sigh. "One of you, please follow me."

They all followed the detective, determined not to let anyone witness it alone. As they approached the body covered on the floor, their hearts thudded in their chests. They linked hands and prayed that the body lying in the alley wasn't their best friend. Jaemin's heart felt like it would jump out of his chest at any moment. He reached forward and grasped Jeno's hand for comfort. Jeno looked back and mustered up a small smile of support for Jaemin and squeezed his hand. 

When they reached the body, the detective uncovered it. Renjun cried out and fell to his knees, sobbing. He muttered wildly in Chinese and put his head to the floor. Jaemin had practiced the language enough over the years and could make out a faint Gege failed you baby. Gege is so sorry this happened to you. Mark kneeled to hug him as sobs wracked his body. Jeno held onto Donghyuck and Jisung as they sobbed into his shoulder. Jaemin stood there, petrified. On the ground laid one of his best friends. One of six people he could tell everything. His baby boy. Their resident dolphin. The life of the party. Baby Chenle who hated when anyone was upset and would cuddle the life out of them until they felt better. His Chenle was gone. Tears fell slowly and caressed his cheeks. His heart slowed, and his breathing was labored. The searing pain in his chest was too much. 

He laid on the floor, almost as if he was asleep. Except, his eyes were wide open. Jaemin stared at him. Everything in the background faded away as his heart split in two. His stomach churned, and he turned away to a trash can conveniently placed behind him. He threw up the contents of his stomach but kept on heaving. He felt someone rub his back and looked up to see Donghyuck. His face was red and swollen from crying, but he attempted a smile for Jaemin. Jaemin threw himself into his hyung's arms and sobbed. The ache in his chest grew.

As they all stood there, Jaemin wondered if their group would ever be the same without the bright ball of happiness that had just been screeching at them a few days before. Mark looked up at the detective and nodded slightly before attempting to help Renjun stand. 

Cal ushered them all away after a verbal confirmation that the boy was indeed Zhong Chenle. As they began to walk away, Jisung stayed rooted in his spot. He kept staring at his best friend of ten years, tears running down his face. Jaemin walked back and pulled Jisung into a hug. He jumped when Jaemin grabbed him, almost as if Jaemin's presence brought him back to reality. 

"Hyung. Hyung, that's Chenle. That's my best friend, Hyung. That's my best friend! Chenle! Chenle! CHENLE HYUNG!" He attempted to step closer, but Jaemin wrapped his arms around him tighter and dragged him back toward their car. "No! Chenle! Chenle Hyung! That can't be you! Please! Not my best friend! Hyung! Hyung, I never got to tell Chenle that I love him. That I don't hate him. That he's not annoying. Hyung, please! I have to tell him! I have to-" He slumped in Jaemin's arms and sobbed. His body wracked with sobs Jaemin tried to keep his composure because Jisung needed him to be strong, but this behavior was so unlike Jisung that he knew that it had broken the young boy. 

Jisung turned in Jaemin's arms and cried into his shoulder. Mark came over to help him coax the boy into the car. It was hard because he refused to let go of Jaemin because he was afraid something might happen to another friend. Eventually, they were able to lead him to the vehicle, and they all piled into the van they rented for the weekend. Mark was in the front driving. Jisung sat in the back next to Jaemin, curled up into his side, and sobbing. Jaemin looked to his left and saw Jeno staring at the seat in front of him. He touched his cheek, and Jeno looked at him. Jaemin saw the same pain he felt coursing through his veins. He had never seen Jeno look so lost. 

Jaemin looked around and saw the different looks of devastation on his friend's faces. Renjun's face was red and swollen. Tears streamed down his face as he comforted a sobbing Donghyuck. Jaemin felt another piece of his heart break off. 

It felt like an eternity before they arrived at the hotel room. They all sat on the floor in a circle. They were silent for a while. No one knew what to say. No one knew what to feel. They sat in silence until Renjun's phone rang. 

"Hello? Ma? What? Were your flights canceled? Rainstorm? Will you guys be okay?" There was silence. "We'll be okay. You guys stay safe. Let us know when you can catch a flight. I love you, ma." He hung up. "Our parents are traveling together. Their flight here just got canceled because the city they're in has a major thunderstorm. They said it's raining really hard, and there won't be a flight out until it lets up." 

"How long will that take?" Jisung asked, his voice was rough and strained. 

"I'm not sure, Sungie. We'll have to wait for them to call us." Renjun sighed. 

"How did this happen?" Jeno whispered. "Everything was fine until we got lost in that casino." He raised his voice a little. 

"I don't know. What happened when you guys got lost in the crowd? I was alone until I bumped into Jisung. What about you, guys? The crowd was huge. It took us forever to find each other." Jaemin felt lost and angry. 

"Renjun and I ended up being pushed out of the front of the casino. We kept asking why everyone was in such a hurry to leave. Finally, someone said that someone had made a bomb threat to the casino, and everyone was asked to leave." Mark paused before continuing. "An employee overheard and said that was false and that the sprinklers came on. There was no fire, so they were confused but had everyone evacuate anyways."

"What in the world really happened? Who took Chenle? Who did this to him?" Jisung's voice rose and rose. He was shaking, and his face was red. 

"Did Chenle mention anything to you guys? Anything at all that would explain… this… this situation?" Renjun asked.

"He had been quiet these last few days." Jisung said softly. "He got a text a few days ago that bothered him. When I asked him about it, he said it was just his parents demanding that he behave. They're strict as hell, so I didn't question it. Maybe that had something to do with it?"

Just then, all of their phones go off. They all open their phones to see the same text from an unknown number. 

**LET'S PLAY A GAME. LET'S PLAY…. WHO KILLED ZHONG CHENLE. **

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (From here on out, things will get confusing. The purpose of the events after this point are to confuse the reader. It is your job as the reader to determine if one of Chenle’s best friends killed him, or if there was something more nefarious going on that they didn’t know about. Pay attention to the smallest details. You never know when they might be important.)
> 
> Twitter - @Bycaliforjohnny
> 
> Instagram - @Nchoesinthehouse


	3. The First Clue

** UPDATE ON DEATH OF ZHONG CHENLE, INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISITING LAS VEGAS **

The Metro Police have given an update on the death of Zhong Chenle, the international student that was murdered while visiting Las Vegas as a pre-graduation trip.

Captain of the Metro PD released a statement earlier this morning. It goes as follows:

_ Six hours ago, the body of Zhong Chenle was found in a back alley on the Strip. His cause of death is blunt force trauma to the back of the head. His time of death is put not long after his disappearance. His body was moved after his death and placed in the alley. We are asking that anyone with any information step forward and report it to the Metro Police Department. Thank you. _

When asked if they had any clues, he responded with this:

_ A tip was left two hours after the body of Zhong Chenle was found accusing his friends of his death. As of now, the force will be looking into this tip, but we are unsure at this time if it was a legitimate tip or a prank call. Looking into the friends is merely protocol. As of now, there are no suspects in the death of Chenle. No further questions will be taken.  _

We will update you as the case progresses. As of now, the friends and family of Zhong Chenle have refused an interview or to comment on the death of Mr. Zhong. 

\---------------------------------------------

"What the hell is this?" Renjun exclaimed. 

"Is this some sort of sick prank?" Jaemin yelled. Jisung stared at his phone in disbelief. Jeno turned white and put his phone down. Jaemin felt sick. 

"I don't know what this is, but we should tell the police about it," Mark said. Just then, their phones buzzed simultaneously once more. 

** THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. YOU SIX HAVE A LOT TO TELL THE POLICE, DON'T YOU? SO MANY SECRETS ARE HIDDEN HERE. **

They all paled. 

"Secrets? What secrets?" Jeno demanded. Just then, there was a knock on the door followed by a  _ This is the police. Please open the door. We have some questions for you. _ Mark got up and opened the door to see Detective Cal. 

"How can we help you, Detective Cal?" Mark asked. His voice wavered slightly, and his face paled. 

"We need you, boys, to come down to the precinct. We have some questions for you. A tip was made. Someone accused one of you. I'm sorry, but we have to separate you guys now." The others looked at each other. They were completely terrified. Several officers came and escorted each boy out and into a different cruiser. Jaemin wasn't sure how to handle this. He was horrified to think that one of their friends could have done this.

Once they arrived at the precinct, the boys were sat at different desks and were asked to give their statements. They thought that was all they would be doing until Detective Cal came and asked Mark to go with her. Then it was Renjun. Then one by one, they grabbed all of his friends until Jaemin was the only one left. Finally, Detective Cal came out to grab Jaemin, and he was escorted into an interrogation room. 

"Good afternoon, Jaemin. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Detective Cal asked. Jaemin shook his head and looked at the table. 

"Why are we being interrogated?" He asked. 

"Someone left a tip on our hotline. They said that one of you killed your friend. Now, I don't think any of you guys did it, but its proper procedure to exhaust every lead. Let's start at the beginning, okay? Why were you guys here?" Jaemin took a deep breath.

"We were here because Mark, Donghyuck, Jeno, Renjun, and I are going to graduate this year. We'll be going off to college, and we wanted to get away with Jisung and Chenle before we have to leave for college. We all planned on going to the same college, but we would have to wait a year for Chenle and another for Jisung unless he skips a year like he's supposed to." She nodded.

"I see. You and your friends are close then, aren't you?" Jaemin shuddered.

"Very close. We have been friends for years. I lost track. We've been there for each other through everything. They mean everything to me." Tears welled up in his eyes. "And now Chenle is  _ gone _ ." 

"I understand how upset you are, but I need you to answer these questions, okay?" He nodded. "Why were you guys on the strip three days ago?" 

"Chenle and Jisung wanted to walk through a couple of casinos and see the lights. They were excited to see what the casinos looked like on the inside since they were pretty on the outside. Mark hyung agreed to go on the condition that we leave by nine to go somewhere more friendly to younger guys. They agreed." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"What caused you guys to break up the group?" Her head tilted to the side as she studied him.

"We were walking through one of the casinos when this huge group of people pushed right through our group. We weren't paying attention, and they pushed us apart. It took us nearly half an hour to find each other again. By that time, Chenle had already disappeared. We kept looking for him, but we couldn't find him, and he wouldn't answer his phone. He always answers his phone. Chenle is always on his phone. There's no way he wouldn't have seen our calls. There's no way." Jaemin wiped his eyes.

"Why did you decide to contact the police? Surely you know that people aren't considered missing until forty-eight hours after their disappearance." He shook his head.

"Chenle went missing, and we contacted the police for help. We had walked and walked and walked, trying to find him. We called him so many times. Shouted his name. But we couldn't find him. We couldn't find him anywhere." Jaemin began crying harder. 

"Do you know how he died?" Jaemin shook his head no. "I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to look at these photos." She slid three photos in front of him and studied his face. In the first photo, Chenle was uncovered. His body was spread out like his body was dropped on the concrete carelessly. Jaemin felt sick. In the second photo, it was a close up of Chenle's face. His eyes were open wide in terror. Jaemin wanted to puke. The third photo was of the back of Chenle's head. There was a huge gash where he was hit. Blood clumped in his blonde hair, and the skull looks dented in. Jaemin almost threw up until he noticed something.

"Chenle doesn't have a birthmark," Jaemin stated. She looks at him.

"Are you sure? That looks exactly like Chenle. DNA will probably say the same thing. You might have just never seen it." Jaemin shook his head.

"That's not possible. We're all really close. We've all showered together. I've washed Chenle's hair for him. I would have noticed it. We all would have." The detective turned to look at the mirror behind her. 

"You're absolutely sure about this?" She asked. Jaemin nodded his head vigorously. 

"I swear. I would have known if he had a birthmark. We talked about wishing we had one not long after meeting Renjun because he has one on his hand that looks like a bruise." The detective stared at him for a moment before nodding slightly. 

"I think that's enough for today. Let's get you back to your friends and back to your hotel room." She led him out of the interrogation room and into the hallway where his friends were waiting for him. Jeno held his arms open, and Jaemin rushed into them. He hid his face into the crook of Jeno's neck and cried silently. The detective cleared her throat. 

"These two officers will escort you back to your hotel room. Here is my card. Call me if you remember anything." Jaemin heard the sound of paper but refused to move from where he was nestled into Jeno. He heard Mark mutter something back and then Jeno was guiding him out of the building. They got into the van that was waiting for them and kept silent the entire ride back to the room. 

When they made it back up, Jaemin muttered that he was going to take a shower. He sat under the stream and cried for what felt like hours but was probably about ten minutes. He then cleaned up and went to get dressed. When he emerged, everyone was spread out across the room in different stages of grief. He sat down next to Jisung and motioned for everyone to come near. Everyone moves to sit next to them. 

"That was… horrible. And confusing. So confusing. Did-did she show the pictures to you guys, too?" Jaemin looked at them, and they looked confused.

"Pictures? What pictures?" Jaemin stared at them, dumbfounded. 

"They- they didn't? They showed me pictures! They showed me  _ crime scene  _ pictures!" Jaemin breathed heavily and looked at Renjun. "Junnie, they showed me Chenle- his wound-his eyes. Junnie! They made me look!" Renjun's eyes softened and glistened. He opened his arms for Jaemin who threw himself into them, knocking them both over. Renjun comforted him as he cried in his arms. "It wasn't Chenle, Junnie. Chenle doesn't have a birthmark on the back of his neck. It  _ can't _ be Chenle." Renjun shushed him and looked at the others, eyes wide and frightened. 

Eventually, Jaemin cried himself to sleep. Renjun held onto him, refusing to allow him to sleep alone. 

"What do you think he meant about Chenle not having a birthmark?" Mark asked.

"I think that he's under a lot of stress. I also think those cops were assholes for showing him crime scene photos. Jaemin has always been the more sensitive one in the group. They probably noticed that and thought they could take advantage of that." Jeno sighed. "Jisung are you okay?"

"I don't think I am, Hyung. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle this. Chenle and I were supposed to be best friends till the end. But the end wasn't supposed to come so soon!" Tears ran down his face. Mark got up and wiped the tears off his face and pull him into an embrace. Jisung clung to him as Jaemin clung to Renjun. 

"It's late," Donghyuck spoke up for the first time. "Let's get to bed." He looked around. "I suggest we just drag the mattresses down here on the floor and sleep together. It might be better for us." Everyone nodded. Donghyuck helped Renjun move Jaemin to the side while they set up. Jaemin whimpered and clung harder to Renjun who shushed him and brushed his hands through Jaemin's hair. Once the bed was made, they all moved onto the mattresses and clung to one another. They drifted off into an uneasy sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter - @Bycaliforjohnny
> 
> Instagram - @Nchoesinthehouse


	4. A Bit of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when the police start digging?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. There are topics that might be triggering.

**YET ANOTHER UPDATE ON THE DEATH OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ZHONG CHENLE**

Zhong Chenle was an international student visiting Las Vegas as a last hurrah before his older friends graduated. 

Sources say that Zhong was in a relationship with one of the said graduating friends. Our source (who will remain anonymous) said:

Zhong Chenle had been dating one of his older friends before his death. His friends failed to inform us about this, and evidence suggests that the group itself did not know of this relationship. We will speak to his friend group about this and continue the investigation.

Who was Zhong Chenle Dating? Why didn't this friend step up and tell the police? Were they involved in his death?

______________________

The next morning was stressful for Jaemin. He woke up, and for a second, he couldn't remember what had happened. Then it all came flooding in. Chenle was gone, and they wouldn't see him ever again. He laid there for a moment, tears in his eyes. He heard Renjun rustle around and wiped his eyes before getting up and showering. 

By the time he had finished, Renjun and Mark were up. "We ordered something to eat," Mark said. Jaemin nodded. 

"The Detective called. She wants to speak to us again. Mark told her that we would drive ourselves there. This time we'll all be together apparently. She said they had questions for us. About Chenle." Jaemin nodded again. 

"I'll be honest. I don't want to go back. I don't want to talk to them again. But I know they'll think something bad if I don't." He sighed. Renjun stood up and hugged Jaemin. Jaemin buried his head in Renjun's neck and sighed. One by one, each person got up and got ready for the day. They ate pancakes that Renjun and Mark had ordered in silence. Once they were done, they all sat there. Jaemin didn't know what to say. He realized that there was nothing he could say. Nothing that any of them could say. What did you say to your friends when another one of your friends has been murdered? He didn't think there were any guidelines for this sort of thing. Jisung sighed. 

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go speak to them. I don't want to see anything, and I don't want to hear anything. I want to go home and pretend that none of this is happening. I want to pretend like Chenle isn't gone. Is that too much to ask for?" Nobody spoke. They all stared at Jisung. 

"There's nothing we can do. We can't leave the country Jisung." Donghyuck sighed and embraced him. "I'm sorry, Sungie. I'm so sorry. I know that you guys were best friends. I wish I could turn back time-" His voice caught and he cleared his throat. "But I can't. I'm so sorry." Jisung began to cry and buried his face in Donghyuck's shirt. His sobs seemed to draw the tears out of everyone else, and soon they all had tears streaming down their faces. 

"I can't do this," Jeno whispered. "I can't be strong. I can't even sleep at night. Chenle was like my little brother. I was supposed to protect him. I promised his mom I would!" He sobbed. Jaemin stood up to hug Jeno, but Jeno pushed him away and went to the bathroom. The door slammed, and everyone quieted. 

"The Detective asked us to be there at eleven. It's ten forty-five right now. We have to go." Mark sighed. "I'll go talk to Jeno. Everyone else starts walking to the van. Renjun has the keys. Just… Don't go anywhere alone. Hold hands. I'll be there as soon as possible." Mark turned and entered the bathroom while the rest of them filed down the hallway towards the elevator. As they waited for it, Jisung grabbed Jaemin's hand and held on tight. Jaemin gave him a small smile and held on just as tight. 

______________

It took Mark ten minutes to coax Jeno out of the bathroom and into the van. He sat in his seat, silent with red-rimmed eyes. No one said anything on the way to the station. It seemed that they sat in silence a lot nowadays. No one wanted to speak or had much to say. 

When they arrived, the Detective was waiting for them. She led them into another interrogation room. This one was bigger and had more comfortable chairs. Once they were seated, a man brought a file into the room to had to the Detective. Jaemin's heart thundered in his chest. I pounded but felt heavy. As Jaemin looked at the data in her hands, he felt scared. 

His lungs refused to cooperate. His throat was tight. His eyes stung as he remembered the pictures he was shown just the day before. His life was spiraling out of control and for a moment... Just a moment… Jaemin considered following Chenle. He couldn't handle the pressure in his lungs or the sting of his heart. For a moment, all he wanted was to close his eyes one last time. He didn't think he wanted them to open again. Before he could drown in his feelings, Donghyuck began to cry, and Jaemin remembered that he had a purpose in life. He couldn't abandon his friends. Not after Chenle. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"What do you want with us today?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and opened her file.

"The truth, Jaemin. I want the truth. There are so many secrets. Big secrets. Aren't there?" Everyone looked at her confused. Jaemin stiffened. He did have a secret, but he didn't think there was any way she could have found out. 

"What truth?" Mark demanded. 

"Let's start with the biggest secret, Mark." She stared at Jaemin. 

"What secret?!" Mark all but screamed at her. He was more agitated than they had ever seen him. "Stop messing with us and tell us what you mean." She stared him down. 

"Chenle was seeing someone you know. They were in a relationship. They had been for the past two years." The color drained from Mark's face. "Yet no one told us about this. And from the looks of all but one of your friends, you guys didn't know this. Isn't that suspicious?" Mark looked around, eyes wide. 

"Who- who was he dating? It couldn't be one of us. We would have told each other. We're bad at keeping secrets from each other." Jaemin couldn’t look at Mark. He couldn't look at any of them. 

"It was one of you. The person dating Chenle is in this very room." She looked around. "Isn't he, Jaemin?" Jaemin heard a gasp. He didn't know who it came from, but he didn't want to find out.

"What the fuck? Jaemin? What is she talking about?" Jaemin's breath caught in his throat. He felt overwhelmed once again. It felt like he was losing his mind. 

"Chenle… Chenle and I were… Were dating. For two years. I was in love with Zhong Chenle." His throat closed, and hot tears fell down his face. "We didn't mean for it to happen. It happened on that one day where you all were busy except for him. We met up at the arcade that we all love to go to and played games all day until we were hungry. We walked to a get barbeque, and I just couldn't keep my eyes off of him for some reason. He just... Glowed. He was beautiful, and I couldn't help myself. I kissed him as it started to rain. He thought it was cliche and romantic. We kissed a lot that day. We started to meet up alone more often. Two weeks later, I officially made Chenle mine." He took a deep breath to steady himself but was unable to. His voice was hoarse when he said, "I love him. Loved him so much." He could feel the eyes on him. 

"Why the fuck didn't you tell us? Why the fuck did you keep this from us? How could you, Jaemin?" Donghyuck began to scream at him. "How dare you? Not once have we judged anyone for who they love. You KNOW we wouldn't have cared. You know we would have supported you! Why the hell did you keep this from us? Your best friends?!" Jaemin wept. 

"I couldn't. Chenle didn't want to. His parents wanted him to focus on school. They forbid him from dating, so we didn't tell them. We didn't tell anyone. Next thing I knew, two years had flown by. By then, we didn't know how to tell you." He couldn't breathe. He began to gasp, and it felt like the world was spinning. It felt like the world was ending. "You don't understand how much I loved him. It hurts so much. I feel like I can't breathe. It feels like my life isnt my own. I feel like I'm out of my mind. It hurts so much that I don't want to be alive. And it hurt so much that I couldn't share this pain with you." His breathing became labored. Mark got up and moved Jaemin to the floor. Jeno sat down on the floor and pulled Jaemin into his lap. 

"It's okay, Nana. I need you to take deep breaths, okay? Focus on my breathing and copy it." Jeno took slow, deep breaths. Jaemin did his best to follow along. When he felt like he could breathe normally, he looked up at his friends. 

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. But I promise that is the only secret I'm keeping from you." Mark nodded. Jaemin noticed that everyone had crowded around him except for Jisung. Jisung stared at the table lost in thought. Mark stood up. 

"This interview is over. Every time Jaemin comes here, you specifically target him. We are done for the day and will be leaving." He gestured for everyone to follow him. 

"That's fine. I will call you back if I find anything else out. Goodbye." She waved. No one waved back. They left as quickly as they could. Mark drove them directly to the hotel. As they entered the hotel, a mob of reporters surrounded them. 

"Mark! Mark! Who do you think did this to your friend?"

"Did one of you kill your friend?"

"Sources say one of you was dating Chenle before he died. Which one of you was it?"

"Renjun! Renjun! Renjun! Just a word Renjun! Did you hate Chenle?"

Jaemin shouted for them all to hold hands as he and Jeno fought through the crowd. Once they made it to the elevator, they all breathed a sigh of relief. 

When they made it back into their rooms, they all flopped onto the makeshift bed they had made. They were all ready to sleep for ages when their phones buzzed. 

**THAT WAS TOUGH, WASN'T IT? I TOLD YOU THERE WERE SO MANY SECRETS. AND THIS ISN’T THE ONLY ONE. **

Jaemin sat up and tried to call the number. All he got was a dial tone. Jisung threw his phone across the room, and it landed in his shoe. If they weren't so scared, they might have laughed. 

"Who the hell is this person?" Jisung demanded. "How do they know what's going on? Why are they doing this?" Another text came through.

**I WANT TO RUIN YOUR LIVES LIKE YOU RUINED MINE. CHENLE COULD HAVE BEEN MINE, BUT YOU INTERFERED. **

"Why haven't we called the cops yet?" Donghyuck asked. 

**BECAUSE I WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS IF YOU TELL THE POLICE. YOU THINK HACKING PHONES IS ALL I CAN DO? AREN'T YOUR PRECIOUS PARENTS BOARDING A PLANE THIS AFTERNOON?**

They all paled and looked at one another. 

**WE'LL SPEAK SOON. ONCE ALL THE SECRETS ARE REVEALED, THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT.**

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Renjun moaned. His head was in his hands, and his shoulders were shaking. "What the hell did Chenle get himself into, and why are we suffering for it?" Mark wrapped his arms around him. 

"I don't know, but all we can do is hope that they catch the killer." Just then there was a knock at the door. 

"Huang Renjun, this is the police. Please open the door." Renjun paled but complied. "Huang Renjun, you are under arrest for the murder of Zhong Chenle. You have the right to remain silent…" The voice trailed off as they took Renjun away. Another officer made sure that the rest of them couldn't run after Renjun. Donghyuck was sobbing uncontrollably, and Mark was trying to fight to follow Renjun. Once the last officer left without giving them any information, Jaemin grabbed his phone to call his parents. 

"Eomma! We need a lawyer! We need help! They're saying Injunnie did it! They arrested him and took him away! Eomma help!" Jaemin was crying hard. His mother assured them that they would help and hung up. 

"Why did they take Injunnie?" Jisung whispered.

"I don't know." Mark croaked back. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always accept constructive criticism. Please leave comments! :)


	5. AUTHORS NOTE (To be deleted)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please read.

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night,

I am not really satisfied with the way this AU is turning out. I was trying to spit out chapters as fast as I could instead of taking my time on each chapter. I feel like I could have done better. There are details missing and plot holes, so I will be taking the time to rewrite this AU. Thank you so much for the kudos and support for this AU. I promise I will try to do better! If there are any suggestions you might have, please leave a comment! Any critisism helps in the long run and I greatly appreciate it. 

Please continue to support me as I try to make this AU worthy of reading! 

Love,

C 


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